In the second game of the Stanley Cup finals between the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings, hockey fans were treated to an electrifying match-up that ultimately ended up producing the same story and same outcome at Staples Center, as the hometown team skated to a 5-4 double-overtime win.
Stanley Cup Final Game 2
Game two unfolded in a very similar fashion to that of game one. The Rangers came out off the opening faceoff and once again used their speed game to dictate play through the first two periods. They were faster, harder working, and a lot more puck hungry than the Kings.
At the conclusion of the first, New York found themselves in a familiar position as they managed to take a 2-0 lead courtesy of a slap shot from the point by defenseman Ryan McDonagh and a goal line jam play by Mats Zuccarello. This would mark their first two-goal lead of the game and second of the series.
Unfortunately, just as they coughed up their game one advantage, the Rangers allowed Los Angeles to play themselves right back into the game when forward Jarret Stoll tallied 1:46 into the second period to bring his team within one.
As the two teams made their way past the halfway point in the game, an impressive display of special teams work resulted in a quick exchange of power play goals, one for veteran Martin St. Louis followed by another for Willie Mitchell. A minuscule 11 seconds later, New York regained their second two-goal lead of the contest after Kings net minder Jonathan Quick misplayed the puck behind his cage and gave Derick Brassard an unchallenged opportunity for a tap-in at the side of the net.
Heading into the third with a 4-2 advantage, it seemed as if the Rangers had put themselves in a perfect spot to even up the series at one apiece. Although, counting out Los Angeles at any point in time with the amount of unrivaled resiliency that they possess would be a mistake. Naturally, and almost expectedly, the Kings fought their way back again.
The comeback was propelled by yet another early goal two minutes into the final period from Dwight King who unknowingly redirected a Matt Greene shot from the point past a sprawling Henrik Lundqvist. Prior to the puck entering the net, King got tangled up with Ryan McDonagh in front causing him to collapse on top of Lundqvist preventing him from having the ability to make the save. Instead of washing it out and ruling incidental contact, referee Dan O’Halloran signaled an immediate “good goal” and ignited a firestorm of controversy. To say the least, it was a game-altering call that completely swung momentum in the home team’s favor.
New York’s short-lived 4-3 lead would evaporate entirely when Marian Gaborik chipped home a wild net mouth scramble for his thirteenth postseason marker to tie the score at four. This was the fourth time in the last five games that Los Angeles had erased a two-goal deficit.
For the second game in a row, three periods proved not enough. Even more remarkably, four periods proved the same. With both teams trading chances back and forth, which has been the predominant theme in overtime over the course of these playoffs, double OT brought us a victor when a Willie Mitchell shot was tipped in past Lundqvist by Kings captain Dustin Brown for the game-winner.
Statistically speaking, this game could not have been any more even. Essentially, it all came down to which of the two teams had more of the momentum; noticeably, Los Angeles was that team. Almost identical to the scenario that played out in game one, the Rangers started out on top of the mountain and slowly but surely came tumbling down.
After the devastating third period letdown from New York in the previous game in which they were convincingly outplayed and outshot 20-3, head coach Alain Vigneault challenged his team during his post-game press conference stating that 40-minute efforts were not going to cut it against a team like the Kings. He repeatedly acknowledged that every player in his lineup would need to put together a full, 60-minute game in order to come out of game two with the series evened up. The series is not evened up, and it’s a direct result of his team not playing three consistent periods.
For one reason or another, the Rangers have had a difficult time keeping their speed game intact for the complete duration of these first two contests. Once the third period rolls around, they transition from a fast-paced, attacking team into one that seems to prefer a more passive, safer style of play. They choose to wait back instead of continuing to push forward, which willingly opens up the floodgates for their opposition to attack them as a result.
As Los Angeles heads to Madison Square Garden with a 2-0 series lead, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that they’re clearly in the driver’s seat at the moment. However, New York is more than capable of defending home ice. Game three takes place on Monday night.
At that time, when the puck drops at center ice, it will be do-or-die for the Rangers. If they end up going down 3-0 to the Kings, their dreams of bringing Lord Stanley back to the Big Apple for the first time in two decades will be seemingly unattainable.
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